Ted Kennedy was pro-life, was.

A drunk. A United States Senator. A "liberal lion." A womanizer. A Catholic. Guilty of vehicular manslaughter - saving his inebriated self and leaving an injured woman in a river to drown. This guy was a lot of things.  But like many today in what Ponnuru calls the Party of Death (like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Dick Gephardt, Al Gore, Richard Durbin, etc.) Ted Kennedy was also pro-life. Was.

I'm guessing his eulogizers these next few days won't be pointing out his pro-life past. So, as a service to you I will share what came forth from the mouth of Ted Kennedy on August 3, 1971:

"While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized — the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grown old."

"When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."

Unlike the others under the Kennedy curse, God gave Ted seventy-seven years. His victim, Mary Jo Kopechne, died forty years ago this summer. Interesting numbers, to me.

Lots of reflection these next few days on old Ted's life. He rightfully deserves some honor and it is a undeniably a very historic passing. But here's the most important thing he leaves behind… a hole in the Senate that will be filled by Romney or another Republican. Good-bye sweet 60 and the filibuster-proof Senate. God gives and takes away.